Vegan Shortbread Cookies

Buttery, flaky, crumbly vegan shortbread cookies made with just 3 ingredients. These cookies are fun to make and enjoy all year round.

Who doesn’t love shortbread cookies?

If you are not a shortbread cookies lover, these cookies will change your mind!

Shortbread cookies need only 3 ingredients to make the base. After that, go nuts with the icing and toppings.

Tips for baking these cookies

• Make sure your butter is softened before adding to the flour. This gives the cookies their trademark buttery texture.
• If you have don’t have cookie cutters, just make small, round balls and place on an oiled baking tray. Press down gently on the ball to flatten them slightly and follow the bake instructions below.
• When you cut out the shapes, used a spatula to transfer the cookie from the flat surface to the baking tray. These cookies will break apart easily if you use your fingers
• The cookie dough can also be frozen and baked at a later date. Freeze as cookie balls to make your life easier. Thaw the dough on a kitchen countertop before making cookies.
• You can also freeze these shortbread cookies after baking them. Be sure to let them cool completely and harden before you freeze them. Use them up within 6 months of freezing them.
• If you are freezing the cookies after baking, don’t put any icing on them. Only ice them when you are ready to serve them.
• To thaw cookies, remove from freezer and line on baking tray. Place tray in a 325° preheated oven for about 5 min or until thawed. Decorate with icing.
• The cookies make great edible gifts, so, bake them and let them cool to room temperature. Put icing on them, let it set and then put them in gift baskets.
• Bake the cookies about 3/4 of the way. Remove from the oven and keep them in the baking tray for about 10-15 min until they harden. Over-baking them in the oven will make them loose their natural flaky texture.

What are shortbread cookies

Shortbread cookies originated in Scotland where they are referred to as biscuits. The traditional recipe uses a 3:2:1 ratio.

That’s 3 parts flour, 2 parts butter and 1 part white sugar. The cookies have taken on a life of their own in recent years. Now, there are so many flavors of these delicious biscuits that you can a different recipe each day and never get bored.

I use vegan butter and vegan confectioners sugar in this recipe, but, you can also use regular ingredients. The recipe is very versatile and you can use more than the traditional 3 ingredients.

These shortbread cookies are such a delightful edible gift! If you like giving edible gifts, here is a list of food gifts for Christmas that anyone will be delighted to receive!

Flavors to add?

• Jam / jelly
• Coffee / mocha flavors
• Chocolate
• Citrus Flavors
• Matcha
• Strawberry or other fruity extracts
• Peanut Butter or Hazelnut butter
• Sprinkles
• Nuts like pistachios, almonds and hazelnut
• Peppermint
• Pumpkin spice

Answering Common Questions

How to bake vegan shortbread cookies

Before you start the baking process, set your oven to preheat to 325°

1. Place a sieve over a large, glass bowl
2. Sieve 2 cups of all purpose flour
3. Add ¾ cup of vegan confectioners sugar
4. Put 2 drops of vanilla essence
5. Add 1 ½ cup of softened butter. The butter MUST be softened in order to get the trademark flaky texture

1. Using your hands mix all the ingredients together. It will be crumbly texture and that’s perfectly ok.
2. Add 1 tsp of Lemon Extract
3. If you find it hard to work with, let the mixture stand for about 5 min at room temperature. Roll it into cookie dough. I like to make 3 small cookie dough balls because it’s easier to work smaller dough. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls at this point and bake at a later date
4. Use an object with a flat surface to flatten the dough. You can use a rolling pin, but, be very very gentle.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut out fun holiday shapes.
6. Place the cutouts on a baking tray and then continue the cookie cutting process until all the dough is used up
   Bake in a 325° oven for no more than 14 min. When the bottom of cookies is browned, remove from the oven. The top will still be under-baked, but, it’s ok. Let them stand at room temperature until they firm up (about 10 min).

Other vegan desserts to try

Melting Moments

Real Life of Lulu made these really cute cookies with sprinkles and almond extract. Best part is that they are bite-sized, so you will love eating them.

Vegan pumpkin spice cookies

Pumpkin spice is not just for lattes!

Cookies made with pumpkin spice are cookies made in heaven! These cookies are so delicious and easy to make.

Giant cookie

Why bake a small cookie when you can bake a GIANT one! This is a very easy giant chocolate chip cookie.

Vegan crinkle cookies

If you love crinkle cookies as much as I do, then you will LOOVE this recipe. The crinkle cookies take very little effort to make with just a few ingredients.

Rustic apple pie

This is a twist on the traditional apple pie recipe. I made it in a cast iron pan, using homemade vegan apple pie crust

Air fryer snowball cookie recipe

I decided to bake snowball cookies in the air fryer because I am a lazy baker, lol! Lucky for me, they turned out so delicious and they were very easy.

Serve these vegan shortbread cookies as is or get creative with your decorating talents to spruce them up.

Vegan Shortbread Cookies

Rini

Quick and easy 5 ingredient Vegan shortbread cokies

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 44 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 5 people

Calories 647 kcal

Equipment

• Cookie Cutters
• Oven

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup vegan confectioners sugar
• 2 drops vanilla essence
• 1⅕ cup vegan butter
• 1 tsp lemon extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Place a sieve over a large, glass bowl
• Sieve the all purpose flour
• Add the vegan confectioners sugar
• Put in the vanilla essence
• Add the softened butter.
• Using your hands mix all the ingredients together. *See Notes
• Use an object with a flat surface to flatten the dough. You can use a rolling pin, but, be very very gentle.
• Use cookie cutters to cut out fun holiday shapes.
• Place the cutouts on a baking tray and then continue the cookie cutting process until all the dough is used up
• Bake in a 325° oven for no more than 14 min.
• When the bottom of cookies is browned, remove from the oven. The top will still be under-baked, but, it's ok.
• Let them stand at room temperature until they firm up (about 10 min).

Video

Notes

* The dough will have a crumbly texture and that’s perfectly ok..  If you find it hard to work with, let the mixture stand for about 5 min at room temperature. Roll it into cookie dough.  I like to make 3 small cookie dough balls because it’s easier to work smaller dough. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls at this point and bake at a later date

– The butter MUST be softened in order to get the trademark flaky texture

– The number of cookies yielded will depend on your cookie cutter size

– When you cut out the shapes, used a spatula to transfer the cookie from the flat surface to the baking tray. These cookies will break apart easily if you use your fingers

– Nutrition information is approximate

Tips for making these vegan shortbread cookies

• Make sure your butter is softened before adding to the flour. This gives the cookies their trademark buttery texture.
• If you have don’t have cookie cutters, just make small, round balls and place on an oiled baking tray. Press down gently on the ball to flatten them slightly and follow the bake instructions below.
• The cookie dough can also be frozen and baked at a later date. Freeze as cookie balls to make your life easier. Thaw the dough on a kitchen countertop before making cookies.
• You can also freeze these shortbread cookies after baking them. Be sure to let them cool completely and harden before you freeze them. Use them up within 6 months of freezing them.
• If you are freezing the cookies after baking, don’t put any icing on them. Only ice them when you are ready to serve them.
• To thaw cookies, remove from freezer and line on baking tray. Place tray in a 325° preheated oven for about 5 min or until thawed. Decorate with icing.
• Bake the cookies about ¾ of the way. Remove from the oven and keep them in the baking tray for about 10-15 min until they harden. Over-baking them in the oven will make them loose their natural flaky texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 647kcal

Keyword how to bake vegan shortbread cookies, What kind of flour to use to bake shortbread cookies

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